Jeremy Wortsman,
Founder, Jacky Winter Group

jackywinter.com

What role do you play as an agent?

We pretty much do everything apart from the making of the work itself. That said, it does change from artist to artist. I like to think that we pretty much build an entire studio support system on demand depending on the artist and the job. Traditionally this would be everything from actually sourcing new business opportunities, managing inbound requests, to quoting and scoping a job, hands-on project management, and all post production duties such as invoicing, managing the license, obtaining permission to share the work, circulating the work for future opportunities, etc. There's quite a lot to cover!

In recent years we've acted as more of a manager for some of our artists as well - We've done everything from entering into joint ventures to produce physical products, to packaging original IP to realise in new mediums. As the industry is changing, so do our roles, as well as the ground we have to cover.

At the end of the day we're really a faithful companion for our artists. Our interests are inherently intertwined - the better our artists do, the better we do.

 

What are some common misconceptions illustrators have about agents?

There's definitely misconceptions on both sides of the fence - from both creatives and clients. The word 'agent' doesn't have the best connotation either. When is the last time you had a positive experience with a real estate agent for example... Given we're such a niche industry, there are definitely some bad apples, and that can have huge repercussions on our entire industry, so we work really hard to dispel that through everything we do. Part of that is also adapting what we language we use to describe our role. Sometimes we're producers, sometimes reps, sometimes agents, sometimes project managers, sometimes art buyers, we're really shape shifters!

From creative, the biggest misconception I have experienced is that agents are the golden ticket to a consistent stream of new clients with high paying projects. In reality it really is a reciprocal relationship - an agent is only as good as the artist and folio that they have to work with and it requires equal and ongoing effort and commitment from both parties. 

From the client-side, there is the misconception that agents will just make things more expensive, or be a barrier to the creative process. It's a delicate balancing act, but at the end of the day a great agent should make the creative feel like they got a fair fee, the client should feel like they got good value for money, and that all communication flowed seamlessly to a successful result. I like to think we're good at facilitating all that, but it definitely can take a bit of work when there's apprehension up front, which is not unusual.

What are the main benefits of representation?

Going back to misconceptions, the idea of an agent being the person who goes around town with your folio knocking on doors is somewhat of an outdated concept. Representation really encompasses so many other fields like more hands-on career management and especially production and project management. There's no one size fits all approach, but in short, representation should do one (or ideally more) of the following:

-Bring in more work than you could on your own by amplifying and enlarging your current efforts. This can also include getting you access to larger clients where there are moats of trust that are harder to breach as an individual. In some cases working with an agent automatically legitimises you for certain client segments. Much like an agent will attach themselves to your folio and aesthetic, you also attach yourself to the agents reputation and professional networks.

-Be your back of house and allow you to focus purely on creating your work. Again, this can wildly range in how things actually play out. In some cases we literally managed an artists entire email inbox. Whatever it is, you should feel that the administration-related burden on running your practice pretty much goes away. 

-You get some genuine distance from the sides of doing business that you might not be comfortable with. Everything from following up late invoices to managing tricky feedback or reshuffling deadlines, a good agent should give you space and negotiate for your benefit on these things.

This plays out financially as well - As an artist you can be so close to the work that it becomes so easy to overvalue or undervalue your work. An agent will bring some more objectivity to that process and also identify other opportunities which might not always be obvious, especially when it comes to licensing and finding new avenues for your work.

-You have a trusted ally who has your back and understands your life and your goals. A good agent won't just call you when there is work on or they need a favour. They will be checking in with you regularly, offer you feedback when needed, help develop your folio, or open up doors to new opportunities. On the flip side, you have someone you can call and get advice or feedback from anytime about anything.

There are so many other benefits, such as having an instant community of peers you are part of with the fellow artists, to having a business (and sometimes life!) coach on demand. Given all the talk of AI and such, such a human-to-human interaction can be quite rich and rewarding, especially when it can span years or decades.

Are there situations when an artist is better off without an agent?

When all is going well you should be making more money with an agent than without it. The challenge here is that this can sometimes require a longer-term perspective to see, as these paths are not always linear! At the same time, some creatives value their time and freedom more than financial returns which representation should absolutely provide. So it really is a very personal decision.

Can you give us some insight into typical rates of commission?

The standard is 30% for advertising and brand work and 25% for editorial. However as we expand into other types of work like standard literary representation (standard 15%), or packaging IP for film and TV (can range anywhere between 10-35%), that can change. Also for animation that can be different as well, as an agent isn't going to take the commission on the entire production, so it's a bit of a movable feast. 

What makes you want to represent someone?

It can be a combination of factors... as we have been around for a while we love the rush of working with top-tier talent who are already bringing in some great clients on their own and it's really about widening the circle and building a team around an artist. On the other side side of things we equally love finding an artist that is just showing the budding shoots of a unique vision and teaming up to them to add wood to the fire to so to speak and help them reach escape velocity!

What’s the best way for artists seeking representation to approach an agency?

To literally just send a submission, it's simple as that! We look at every single one of them. Even if it's not a immediate direct hit, with our recently relaunched Choreus service we are working with a lot of unrepresented artists in that way and it can also sometimes be an inroad to formal representation.

What should an artist look for in an agent or agency?

I think the first and foremost thing is that they should have a physical presence in the territory they want to represent you in. From there, I think it's really about reputation - They should talk to current (and former!) artists of the agency and see what it was like. So much of this industry is relational, so having confidence in that is key. Personally I would also look into the individual agents - are you going to be repped by a pool? Or would you have one person looking after you? Look at the individual agents and see their background and what connections they might have. I would also look at their social media - are they active and getting work that excites you? They should also make sure there is room for them on the roster stylistically, and that overall the agency aesthetic is a good match. 

How do artists and agents know when it might be time to breakup?

In the majority of cases when we've had to part ways with an artist it was never a major surprise - When an artist isn't getting traction in the market there can be so many causes, and we try to be really proactive to work through them when those periods happen. Most agencies have very specific industries or client bases they service - sometimes things out of our control happen and certain areas tend to dry up. In some cases the most compassionate thing either party can do is to part ways and perhaps see if another agency can offer a fresh approach. It all comes back down to the individual relationship and the goals at hand.